5/5 stars

Thank you William Morrow for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS -- Martha Ratliff never expected to find a life-partner, until she met Alan. Sweet and good-natured, Alan was the perfect amount of dorky and kind for Martha, and, a year in, their marriage is feeling solid. Martha never had an issue with Alan's traveling, until a mysterious streak of blood shows up on his shirt one day after a conference, and Martha discovers a concerning pattern: unsolved cases of murdered women track with Alan's conferences. Convinced her beloved husband is a serial killer, Martha contacts her old friend from graduate school, Lily Kintner. The only friend Martha has every really had, Lily steps up to help her investigate Alan, but what they uncover is even more twisted and confusing than they could have expected.

After reading both The Kind Worth Killing and The Kind Worth Saving, I wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I loved those, but I was so wrong -- this was my FAVORITE in the series!! While it is marketed with "standalone" potential, I think you really have to read the other two to have the background information on the characters in order to really care about them/the story. While the spoilers of other books aren't major in this one. I don't think you'd connect to the story as much without knowing who these people are and who they have been.

All of that being said, I really enjoy Peter Swanson's writing style, especially in these books. It's a lot more straightforward than a lot of the writing in this genre, and that's a breath of fresh air. This book leans towards mystery/suspense more than it does thriller, and it was fun to try to figure out the truth of the story while it was unfolding. As with all the books in the series, this had surprising twists and a really clever premise, making it a fun and quick read. I think this was my favorite because it was way heavier on Lily than it was Henry. Henry is fine and doesn't really bother me, but I don't care about him/his character arc like I do Lily, and it was a joy to have more of her in this one. The whole series is worth the read IMO, especially to make it to this one!

I didn't realize this was part of a series. However, it did not take away from my enjoyment. I had heard of the author and was excited to get the arc to review. The story is told from multiple points of view but there are a few main POVs. Martha one of the main characters begins to suspect her husband of being a serial killer and when her friend Lily gets involved things start happening at a little quicker pace with a lot of twists and turns. Some of them were a little shocking and unpredictable twists.
I really went into this blind and all I'll say is from the first chapter with Josie's murder. It was kind of like WHAT!?! Most of the characters are unlikable, and untrustworthy, but their predicaments suck you in, and some of them you just can't help caring if they live or die. There was quite a bit of ‘tell’ rather than ‘show' backstories included, but they added to the tension, and were interesting.

I have no hesitation in recommending A Talent for Murder. It was a great read and I want to go back and read the rest of the series.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc to review.

I haven't read the other two books in this series but I still enjoyed this murder mystery thriller. Martha's husband is a traveling salesman of literature themed curiosities. His travel hasn't really ever bothered her that much but when he comes home with some blood on his shirt she can't avoid the unsettling feeling she's had about her husband for awhile. Doing some research she discovers that women have been murdered in the towns her husband went to around the time he was there. Knowing she needs help in getting to the truth she calls on her friend Lily Kinter to help her discover what her husband really is. But no one is safe in this thriller. A good overall who dun it with thriller twists and turns. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a twisty and unexpected wild ride this book was! It had misdirection, murder, and teacher’s conferences. What more could you ask for!? In all seriousness once I started this book I flew through it in 2 days. I never felt bored or wished the pace would pick up and I loved that ending! I’m DYING to know more about Lily and her past.

3.5 stars. This is my first book in this series, so I might've gotten more out of it if I had read the first two Lily Kintner books and was familiar with Lily and Henry. As it was, I got attached to Martha and then realized the book wasn't really about her. The thriller has some genuinely shocking twists, but I didn't find the ending satisfying.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

When women start dying in cities where her husband has recently been, a librarian suspects him of being a murderer. She enlists the help of a college friend in helping her investigate. This is told from both friends' perspectives so I got a little confused about whose chapter I was reading. But the twists more than made up for it.

I loved this book. I am familiar with Swanson's writing but didn't initially realize that this was the third book in his popular series until I started reading it. After finishing, I think it could be read as a standalone without issue, but obviously it helps to have the first two under your belt.

Martha's husband travels for work and he is gone a majority of the year. She begins to get suspicious he is a killer and does some investigating of her own.

This book was on the shorter side which made for a quick read. I loved the character of Martha, but also enjoyed the fact that we got other POV's. Peter Swanson has this fantastic way of writing that makes you want to keep reading and this book was no different. It was entertaining and fast paced.

The ending was a little bit predictable, but it wasn't something that took away from the reading experience for me.

Martha Ratliff always through she'd spend her life alone and had no problem with that. However, when she met Alan everything changed. He was a divorcee that had a job that kept him on the road for half the year, who treated her well. This is why she said yes when he asked her to marry him.

Things were going well until one year into their marriage she found a blood streak on the back of one of his shirts. This makes Martha suspicious so she starts to investigate the cities that Alan has been to and finds out that in five of those cities there are unsolved cases of women who've been murdered.

Worried that she's married to a serial killer, Martha reaches out to an old friend Lily Kintner who once helped her with an abusive boyfriend. Thus begins Lily's investigation into Alan, which leads to her to find a lot of unexpected answers.

Before I start talking about my thoughts on A Talent for Murder, I want to preface this by saying that I have never read the other books in the Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball series. When choosing this on NetGally there was no indication that it was part of a series, so my views might be a bit skewed not having read the other 2 books.

That being said, while I didn't love A Talent for Murder, I did enjoy it and would recommend it. I especially feel like those who have read the other 2 books will thoroughly enjoy this book.

I found Martha to be a likable character, along with Lily and Henry, who appear later on in the book. Trying to unravel the mystery with Martha and Lily was fun and I definitely didn't see the twist coming. I honestly can't put into words why I didn't enjoy this book more, but while I like many of the characters, I just never felt fully connected to them. I think not knowing Lily and Henry's history really hindered me in forging a connection.

All in all, if you're looking for a thriller with an interesting plot, I would definitely suggest A Talent for Murder. I would, however, suggest you read the other books in the series first. I am now going to go back and read them iso I can have more background if the series continues.

Peter Swanson is my favorite contemporary mystery and suspense writer. I thoroughly enjoyed The Kind Worth Killing--and managed to hook more readers on Swanson with that title than any other previous one--and The Kind Worth Saving. Did I enjoy this third book of the series? Yessss...but not as much. It's the perfect example of a series that probably didn't need to keep going (maybe that's why this plot and even the familiar characters seem flat in comparison?), and it's overall not the fantastic quality normally put out by the author/his standalone titles. Will people who already enjoy his titles/this series still be okay with it? Yes, mostly, because not every book or book in a series is going to be a knockout. I still can't wait to read anything and everything that comes out next from Peter Swanson, even if this one didn't wind up being a new favorite to recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for my honest review.

This might have been my favorite Peter Swanson yet, I read it in two sittings. It's technically the third of a series, but you don't necessarily need to have read the other two to enjoy it — though those are also enjoyable. There's a lot of tension throughout, and though I felt like I predicted a few of the 'twists,' there were others that kept me guessing.

Thank you Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced copy of A Talent for Murder in exchange for my honest review.

Peter Swanson has become a must-read author for me when it comes to thrillers and I love that his books are so addicting, and binge-worthy and this latest one is no exception – I read this one in a day! The Kind Worth Killing is one of my favorite books so to not only get a sequel to it last year but then another book with Lily and Henry just makes my thriller-loving heart sing!

This book is so clever and full of so many twists. I don’t know how Peter Swanson keeps doing it, but he does, and he does it so well! This is a dark and devious story, and I had such a hard time putting it down once I started it. I loved how layered this one was, with everyone having their secrets and nothing being quite as it seemed.

Once again, we have characters that you will be questioning from the get-go. I love the way Peter Swanson is able to create these morally gray characters that you aren’t quite able to pinpoint what it is about them until the bottom drops out. I just love being able to be in the mind of a killer – there’s something so chilling yet fascinating about that and Peter Swanson does it so well!

While this book does work well as a stand-alone, reading the series in order gives you a much fuller picture of who Lily and Henry, not to mention the new levels of that the cat and mouse games to go with each new book. I do hope there is more to come of this duo!

This was such a fun mystery! I was happy to be back with Lily and Henry after binging the first 2 books, and Martha was really compelling to me. I loved the mystery here and how it tied back into previous books/reveals. The writing was great and I honestly have no complaints!

This one got me good!! I love how the characters in Swanson’s books are so sick and twisted that you simply can not wait to see how they are either A) gonna get away with it or B) get caught and stopped. This one had plenty of both!
It kept me on the edge of my seat, rooting for Lily, but there was a small piece missing. It’s been awhile since I last read a Swanson novel…but I wish I understood more of Lily’s character. Maybe this was explained more in the first novel but I could have used a little refresher. What drives her and what’s her goal? I felt like I wanted more from her character. I still gave it a strong 4 stars!

Fast and clever mystery thriller.

Shortly into their marriage, librarian Martha Ratliff starts to suspect that her husband, Alan, is a serial killer. He travels a lot as a salesman, but he'd never given her a reason to become suspicious. Then she finds a streak of blood on one of the shirts he had worn on a recent trip to a conference in Denver. Martha is good at research, and she starts to investigate any links between crimes that happened in the cities her husband had gone. What she discovers, 5 suspicious deaths, leads her to turn to her old college friend, Lily Kintner. Lily had previously helped her with a difficult situation involving a man and Martha needs her again.

This went in an unexpected direction, but I enjoyed it tremendously as the twisty plot unfolded. I liked the main characters of Lily and Henry as always because they are so different to the normal hero types in this genre. The pacing was good and the writing was excellent. Easy to read in a single sitting because it is hard to put down.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC (provided by the publisher) and the 6 different narrators really added to the production quality as their voices gave life to each of the characters. I love it when different narrators are used in audio making it easy to listen as one can easily figure out which character is speaking.

Note - this is the third in a series featuring Lily Kintner and Henry Kimball. I've read the previous ones and feel that this is a series that should be read in order. Can't wait for Swanson's next book.

Normally Swanson keeps me on my toes, however this one did not live up to the hype for me. I figured out the suspect way too soon and the characters were very shallow to me. I will still happily recommend to my thriller mystery patrons, just not one of my favorites.

I absolutely loved The Kind Worth Killing and while I overall liked The Kind Worth Saving, I was overly annoyed by the endless use of weird dirty limericks that honestly did nothing to add to Henry's story or character. SO all that to say I understandably went into A Talent for Murder rather hesitantly when it was chosen for as a bookclub read for June, but I'm happy to report that it was quick, enjoyable and I enjoyed my time with it. Swanson's books can sometimes be hit or miss for me, but I really liked my time with this one and would love to read more from Lily's perspective.

I wanted to love this one but it just didn't pass muster for me. The writing was fairly weak (not as strong as I remember from other Swanson books?) and honestly the plot just meandered. I also really do not understand how the title relates to the story. There was a lot of potential but ultimately this fell really flat for me. I also thought that Lily's choices at the end of the book were asinine and I did not like how the story resolved, particularly with the Henry Kimball character. Backstory was alluded to but never explained. This one was just....flat, all the way around.

Ever since he wrote A Kind Worth Killing, Peter Swanson has been one of my absolute favorite authors. That book was spectacular and you just know when you grab one of his novels, it's going to be a treat.

A Talent for Murder is his latest book, and it was a great four-star read. In it, Peter brings back Lily Kintner, plus private investigator Henry Kimball characters from A Kind Worth Killing.

I cannot recommend Peter’s books enough, they are so fantastic. Clear your schedule because once you start reading, you won’t want to stop!

Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her job as an archival librarian, constantly surrounded by thought-provoking ideas and the books she loved. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured divorcee with a job that took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger.

A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern — five unsolved cases of murdered women.

Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . . but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.

✦ 𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴
A newlywed librarian reaches out to an old friend for help when she begins to suspect that the man she just married might be a murderer.

✦ 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 :
• The Kind Worth Killing
• cats named Gilbert
• long game revenge
• multiple POVs
• morally grey characters
• full cast audiobooks
• the twistiest twists

Lily + Henry are back! This is the 3rd book in The Kind Worth Killing series, & although this could be enjoyed as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the first 2 books first! Not only because they are SO good, but it gives a lot of context as well.

Told in Swansons signature 3 parts, it’s perfectly paced, brilliantly layered & so twisted. This one seems like a straightforward is-he-or-isn't-he story until, just when I think I know where the story is going, another unexpected revelation makes me question everything I thought I knew.

I definitely recommend this killer read 😉 At just under 300 pages, this one can easily be binged in a day! A perfect choice for a summer thriller.

My only complaint is I wish it was longer! I really hope this isn’t the last we see of this dynamic duo - I would jump without hesitation at the chance to read another TKWK book!

thanks to @netgalley, @williammorrowbooks + @peterswanson for the opportunity to read this ARC ◡̈

I really enjoy psychological thrillers/mysteries where character is more important than plot. So, I liked knowing who the real killer was early in the story. The writing was fine and in spite of some big implausibilities, I fully enjoyed this story. My only issue is that I had not read the first two in the series and felt I really needed insight into Lily’s backstory to fully appreciate her and her actions in the ending.